Where are They Now?

Alumni frequently send inquiries trying to find out what happened to their favorite professor or coach and what they are doing now. Georgia Southern magazine recently checked in with retired Professor Emeritus and Coach William Spieth.

Retired faculty member Bill Spieth, Ph.D., wore many hats during the 31 years he spent at Georgia Southern University: health and physical education professor, academic advisor to students, baseball coach, a volunteer scorekeeper, and clock keeper for basketball games, the school’s first softball coach, and even a judge for gymnastics meets. He left in 1996 but has fond memories of his days on campus.

“What I miss most is my relationships with students, players and peers,” said Spieth. “I made it a point to know the names of every student in my class, whether it was ten or 30. When I started, I knew almost every faculty member on campus… when I retired I didn’t know all the people in my College because the University had grown tremendously.”

Early in his career, Spieth was a professional baseball pitcher for three years. He gave it up and enrolled in college on the G.I. Bill in 1954, and earned three postsecondary degrees: a B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. in health and physical education from Penn State University, where he also worked for five years. As the freshman baseball coach at his alma mater, he attended athletic department meetings alongside then-assistant football coach Joe Paterno.

In 1967, two years after he joined the Georgia Southern faculty, Spieth was appointed the “acting” head baseball coach but later held the permanent title from 1969-1971. The 1967 and ‘68 teams went to the NAIA National Championships in St. Joseph, Missouri, and finished fifth and second respectively. In 1978, the former baseball player became the first coach of the women’s softball team, a position he held for 17 years.

“During the years of slow pitch all my players were walk-ons because we had no scholarships to offer them… they just wanted to play,” he said. “Fifty tried out and 20 made the team. We didn’t even have a field. We played at the recreation center on Fair Road, but we were successful from the start. We played slow pitch for nine years before we switched over to fast pitch. During the slow-pitch years we were state champions seven times and went to four regional championships and three nationals.”

The former coach explained how the early years of fast-pitch competition were not easy because of the difficulties recruiting pitchers, since high schools in the state of Georgia did not play fast pitch at that time.

Spieth ultimately retired in 1996 and still lives in Statesboro, Georgia, with his wife MaryAnn. Today, Spieth spends his time working around the house and enjoys meeting and keeping in touch with former colleagues as well as Georgia Southern alumni. He remains connected to the University as both a member of the 1906 Society and the Marvin Pittman Society, and returns to his former department in the College of Health and Human Sciences twice a year to address students in Professor Drew Zwald’s “Principles of Coaching” classroom. “The students are very impressed with his knowledge, experiences and philosophy,” Zwald said. “We all learn a lot from him when he presents a realistic perspective about coaching.”

When Spieth reflects on his coaching days, he is amazed at what college coaches are paid today. “When I first started coaching, we were not paid for coaching duties, but were given a reduced teaching load during the playing season,” he said. “I never received any supplement to my salary during the slow-pitch years and maybe the first four or five years into the fast-pitch program. I did it because I enjoyed it.” – Sandra Bennett